Wrapped up
by oddbird
Summary: Naruto thought he had it all, but then his newfound happiness was torn away from him. Christmas is drawing near and he still hasn't found a new light. NaruSasu AU. Giftfic for didi.


**Name:** Wrapped up  
**Author:** Ibilintu/Aryna  
**Pairing:** NaruSasu  
**Rating:** M  
**Warnings:** MxM sex  
**Disclaimer:** Characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi, I'm just borrowing and making no profit at all.

**A/N:** Christmas gift for my darling Didi I hope you enjoy it darling! I'm not totally happy with how this came out, too rushed and all, but I was busy D: This also turned out ridiculously long =_='

* * *

Naruto was sitting on his bar stool, staring down at an empty glass on the bar counter in front of him. His head swam a little as he sighed and reached to grab the glass to try if there was still a drop or two remaining on the bottom. He couldn't remember even drinking it, but how else could the glass be empty?

Huffing at nothing in particular, Naruto brought the glass to his lips and tilted his head back. He stayed in that position for a moment, waiting for the lonely drop of his drink slowly rolling to his lips before setting the glass back to the table and meeting the eyes of a bartender that was watching him in slight amusement behind the counter.

"Should I bring you a new drink?" the man asked, giving Naruto a little smile before walking away without waiting for the blonde's answer.

Staring at the man's back Naruto frowned, glaring down at the empty glass again. Was he really that obvious? But it wasn't like he wanted to get drunk for real, it was just... He didn't know what else to do while sitting here and waiting alone. He couldn't really bring anyone with him when he knew he was going to be moping around all the time, but being alone didn't really suit him either. Chatting someone up didn't seem like a good choice, he was here waiting for his... what, a date?

The thought made Naruto's lips curl in a wry smile and he felt like banging his head to the desk in front of himself. It was stupid to keep coming here and he knew it, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to stop either. It had been almost a year since he'd last seen Sasuke here and he knew he should've been somewhere else, decorating his apartment or cooking or ice skating with his friends, _anything_ but sitting here. Yet here he was, trying to numb himself with the drinks.

A glass full of something light blue was placed in front of Naruto, and the brown-haired bartender smiled at him compassionately.  
"There you go", he stated familiarly, snatching Naruto's used glass away to take it to wash.  
"I made it a bit stronger than usually. Thought you might need it."

Naruto nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing as he watched the brunette thoughtfully. The man was acting quite familiar with him these days and it probably shouldn't have surprised him as much as it did, he did spent almost every Saturday evening here waiting for something he knew wouldn't happen.

"Thanks", the blonde murmured and peered at the odd blue liquid. The color sure was funny, lighter than most blue drinks he had seen, and somehow it made him think of the interesting shade of blue that had always been there in Sasuke's black hair when the lights had caught it.

_Oh Sasuke_. Without a second thought, Naruto brought the glass to his lips and downed half of the drink at once, not even noticing the incredulous eye the bartender was giving him. The liquid burned in his throat and he coughed lightly, closing his eyes as if hoping the alcohol would affect him sooner that way. He was thinking way too much for his own good, he remembered last Christmas way too well, the hope he'd had back then and the warmth swelling in his chest as he'd finally gotten Sasuke's agreement for a real date.

Well fuck it. A frown crossed Naruto's face and then his glass was empty again, the blue liquid burning its way down his throat. It was impossible to tell if the drink had had any specific taste, to the blonde it was just a way to forget for a moment, to get away from these ridiculously clingy memories and hope. It wasn't like they had ever had anything for real.

Shaking his head Naruto leaned his elbows on the table and rested his chin in his palm, staring at the opposite wall with blank eyes. It had been two years ago, almost two and a half when he had first time walked into this very bar to nurse his hurt feelings.

He had been rejected by Sakura again, but that time she had been really serious about it. They had been classmates in the college back then and he had spent ages trying to seduce her and get her to go out with him. Finally Sakura had gotten fed up with his displays of affection and firmly told him that it had to stop, that she wasn't and would never be interested in Naruto that way. They could be friends, but that was all there would ever be between them.

Even if Naruto had known to expect it, the rejection had hurt more than he'd wanted to admit, and so he'd dragged himself to the other side of the city to a bar he knew Sakura could never visit. Not that it wasn't a good place, clean and spacious and the drinks were good, but it was so far from her apartment that she'd never come there for any reason.

He'd sat down by the bar counter and ordered the strongest drink they served, and the bartender had immediately brought him one. Only when Naruto had almost thrown his fourth drink all over a stranger sitting next to him, the man turned and glared at him in a way that made the blonde flinch and inch away from him a little.

"Do you really think that helps?" the man had asked with a low conceited voice that had immediately made Naruto want to punch him.  
"Drowning your problems into alcohol?"

That had started a long and heated discussion about the benefits of alcohol when trying to forget about something. Well, heated from Naruto's part; the stranger had kept his cool the whole time and when Naruto had finally almost passed out on him, he had thrown the blonde into a cab and paid it for him. That was, of course, something the blonde couldn't accept, he hated being in debt to anyone, even strangers. It had brought him back to the bar the next Saturday in search of the man, and he had almost started another argument by trying to force the raven to take his money.

Maybe that wasn't the most romantic of all beginnings, but eventually Naruto found himself coming to the same bar more and more often, secretly hoping to meet the guy. After a few more encounters he had gotten to know the male's name, Sasuke, and before he noticed it had become a habit, to head out to the bar and to Sasuke every Saturday.

The raven had never appeared bothered by him, and the certain degree of anonymity they still held made it easy for Naruto to talk to him. Sasuke was often quiet, just listening to him and letting him rant about his problems, offering a comment every now and then. He didn't give advice, just listened and to the blonde it felt like Sasuke always understood him. It wasn't something he'd ever felt before, and slowly he became more and more depended on these meetings in the shady corners of the bar.

Naruto groaned softly and let his head fall to the bar counter, the cold surface feeling good against his forehead. His memories were taking him to a dangerous zone, something that would leave him gloomy for a long while, yet he couldn't bring himself to think about anything else either. The man closed his eyes and sighed, letting the images come. They were still so clear, like it had happened yesterday instead of a year and a half ago.

_"...and then he said he doesn't want me in his group! Can you imagine! I'm not a bad student dammit! I'm one of the best, I'll tell you now, if I just wanted I could get straight A's but he's such an asshole and-"_

_"Naruto." The softly spoken word cut off Naruto's rambling immediately and he turned to look at Sasuke, feeling slightly embarrassed. The raven was watching him with those dark intense eyes that were always on him, studying him, and sometimes laughing at him as well. It was something that had come with time though, at first Sasuke had never laughed, he'd been angry and stoic, but slowly Naruto had gotten under his skin enough to make him laugh at times. _

_Those eyes always made Naruto want to squirm. They were so knowing, like they could read his mind, and he wasn't sure if he liked it. But now something was different, there was something new in the dark depths, something that made the blonde's stomach flutter oddly._

_"Naruto", Sasuke repeated, leaning closer and licking his lips. He didn't give the other man a chance to resist, his hand cupping Naruto's neck and pulling him closer, holding him in place as he pressed his lips against Naruto's. Naruto gasped, his eyes registering shock as he tasted the alcohol on Sasuke's lips, never having expected this.  
_

_The kiss wasn't long, and way too soon Sasuke pulled back, his hand still resting on Naruto's neck and his thumb stroked the tanned skin softly. The blonde shook his head, trying to clear his mind a little. He was sure it was the alcohol clouding Sasuke's judgment and making him behave like that; the raven had drank more than he usually did. But regardless of that, there was something in the dark eyes that made him finally sigh and lean closer, to kiss the other's lips in return._

_Sasuke immediately pulled him closer, the slender arms wrapping around him and all Naruto could do was to let his tongue engage into a battle of dominance, the taste that was just Sasuke making him feel more lightheaded than the alcohol ever could. He buried his hands into the silky black hair and fisted it gently, pulling the other man even closer. It was so easy to recall everything, how Sasuke's body had felt pressed against him, the taste of the other man combined with alcohol, the smoky smell of the bar and the thrill of kissing another man in public like this, knowing that at any moment they could be caught. _

_They pulled apart after what had felt like an eternity to Naruto, both panting lightly and the blue eyes shining from mixed emotions. He was still a little shocked, to have Sasuke kissing him so spontaneously, but he didn't mind it at all. The blonde had admitted himself years ago that he was attracted to both men and women so it wasn't that much of a surprise, but Sasuke was the first man that had actually approached him, not the other way round, and it made him oddly warm._

_Or maybe it was the alcohol. _

_Grinning brightly at the raven, Naruto smooched him once more before reaching for his glass again. Kissing Sasuke was nice, it made him feel good, but he since he didn't really know what to expect from the man he didn't want to push things._

_Sasuke gave him a long look before following his example and they toasted nothing particular, just enjoying their night._

A light tap on the shoulder interrupted Naruto's memories and he was pulled back to the harsh reality of the smoky bar and questioningly smiling bartender.

"Yeah?" the blonde groaned, his head feeling heavy and eyes puffy. As he reached to rub them he was surprised to find his cheeks wet, and his face flushed red from embarrassment. How pathetic was he, crying over those stupid old memories.

"I was just wondering if you had passed out", the brunette informed him with a compassionate smile and then offered him one more drink.

"Go on, that one's on the house." Then he was gone again, serving the other customers that weren't so wasted, teary or tried to hide themselves in the shadiest spot at the counter.

Naruto didn't bother watching him go this time, the memories still bothering him. He didn't want to close his eyes again because he knew he'd just be seeing Sasuke's face again, and then his memories would take him back to times he really didn't want to remember. Instead he grabbed the drink and sipped it moderately, his head already buzzing unpleasantly. He knew he'd have one hell of a hangover tomorrow but he couldn't really bring himself to care.

The blonde glanced down at his drink and then shrugged, feeling funny as his head started to swim again. Fuck it all, he didn't need Sasuke this much, no way he did. It had been just a... a fling. A fling that had lasted one and a half years, but a fling anyway. Sasuke apparently didn't think about him at all anymore, it hadn't mattered to the raven, and he wouldn't lose to the bastard.

A lonely smirk tugged at Naruto's lips as he turned to look at one table close to the front door. They hadn't liked that table, too much people passing by and staring at them, and staring had always made Sasuke uncomfortable. But he did remember one of their earlier conversation that they had had at that very table, eating fries and just generally killing time.

_"So, what is it that you do?" Naruto asked around a handful of fries, and his mouth twisted into an odd smile as he saw how Sasuke's nose wrinkled in disgust._

_"Pardon me, what?"_

_Swallowing his fries, Naruto flashed his friend a smile and picked some more fries to stuff into his mouth._

_"Your work, I mean. What do you do? I know you work fucking long hours, but..." He shrugged and threw the fries into his mouth, munching them with a delighted look on his face. He had been hungry all day, dammit, and he wasn't going to hold back now that there was food on the table._

_Sasuke stared at him in disbelief for a moment before frowning and looking away._

_"I do my job", he answered evasively with a shrug of one shoulder._

_Never one to read the mood, Naruto snorted and took a sip of his beer._

_"Well duh", he commented before digging deeper into the subject, thinking that Sasuke was just joking around.  
"Where do you work?"_

_Again, the dark-haired man was quiet for a moment like he actually had to think about his answer._

_"Office", was the reluctantly given answer, and the pale hands reached for the fries, grabbing a few._

_Naruto frowned, his eyes narrowing. Okay, fine, the bastard wasn't joking, he was actually evading the question._

_"Come on, Sasuke. I want to know."_

_The dark eyes turned to stare at him immediately, the look in them growing a little bit colder._

_"You don't need to know", Sasuke answered in clipped tone, his brows knitting together angrily._

_"Bastard", Naruto snarled, leaning closer to Sasuke. A young woman passing their table threw an interested look at their direction but neither men noticed, they were too caught up in their own little quarrel._

_"It's not such a big deal! Just tell me already! I'll tell you where I work too."_

_Sasuke arched a brow at that, smirking a little although it didn't look quite real._

_"Why would I want to know that?" he asked sarcastically, looking like he'd rather be doing anything else than listening to Naruto telling about his work._

_The scarred cheeks puffed, making Naruto resemble an angry squirrel, and in a spur of the moment he grabbed a fry and threw it at Sasuke. Good for him it missed, sailing past the raven's head to the floor, but it had much more effect than Naruto had ever thought it would._

_The black eyes narrowed dangerously and Sasuke tensed slightly, leaning back and and glaring at Naruto while making sure his shoes didn't touch the fried piece of potato on the floor._

_"I didn't think you were this childish", he snapped irritably, his eyes still glued on the blonde._

_"Me? You were the one refusing to tell me where you work!" It was all Naruto could say, annoyance still evident in his voice. It had only been one fry, for God's sake! Nothing to get so worked up over. His brows furrowing the blonde picked up a handful of fries again and stuffed them demonstratively into his mouth. Just to show Sasuke childish, he chewed on the food for a moment and then opened his mouth wide, even sticking out his tongue. _

_The utterly appalled look on Sasuke's face made Naruto want to snicker and he quickly closed his mouth after the raven had turned to look away in disgust; he wasn't going to risk accidentally spitting half-chewed fries on Sasuke. After swallowing a couple of times he sighed and sipped his beer, turning to glance around the bar._

_It was almost full tonight, only one free table left, and the other customers were being noisy, filling the room with loud chatter. Not that Naruto minded the noise though, it made the place feel cozy and warm, and with the alcohol making him feel even better he smiled spontaneously at a guy that had just happened to raise his eyes from the table the other side of the room. The man didn't probably pay him any attention, Naruto was too far to be noticed no matter how brilliant and dazzling his smile was, and after a moment it dropped and he shook his head, chuckling at nothing in particular._

_"Well, dobe? Where do you work?"_

_The sudden question made Naruto spin around in surprise, only to find Sasuke's eyes again watching him in that intense way they always did._

_"Uh..." For a moment, he couldn't really think of anything to say. Hadn't Sasuke been angry at him a moment ago? And he hadn't been really happy with the raven either... But whatever. If Sasuke was willing to let it go, Naruto would settle down with that; he didn't really like arguing anyway._

_But then again, he wouldn't have been Naruto if he'd completely left the earlier subject._

_"In a restaurant", he answered vaguely, shrugging nonchalantly but his eyes gave him away, shining impishly as he watched Sasuke, waiting for his response. He could see from the raven's face that the other knew he was being toyed with, but in the end the man gave in to it and let Naruto pull himself back into the banter._

_"What kind of restaurant?" he asked, arching his brows disinterestedly. Had it been anyone else, Naruto would've found the gesture discouraging, but with Sasuke it would've made him worry if the other suddenly started to look like he was actually interested in what Naruto had to say._

_"Well...", Naruto drawled, picking up a single now cold fry and starting to twirl it in his fingers._

_"We have a cook, and another one, and waiters, and we serve food, mostly...", he explained mischievously and then grinned widely as Sasuke's eyebrow twitched in annoyance._

_"_Hey. Sorry, but we're closing for the night."

Naruto opened his eyes again, his head feeling fuzzy and somehow slow as he tried to figure out what was happening. He blinked stupidly, and slowly the picture started to come clear, along with the bartender shaking him gently again.

"Really, you should go now. I even called you a cab, it'll be here in five minutes."

The blonde nodded dumbly, his forehead rubbing against the bar counter and making him feel even dizzier for some reason. Letting out a soft groan he slowly lifted his head, the one bartender becoming two for a moment. Christ, he had to be more drunk than he'd thought...

It finally took some assistance from the bartender to get Naruto to the door and put on his coat, and the man even helped him to get into the cab. The blonde gave the driver his address after checking it from a note he kept in his jeans pocket, and then just leaned back and closed his eyes for a second, already feeling the aftereffects of the alcohol. His temples were starting to throb and he wanted to get home before the real headache would come and make him practically paralyzed.

Opening his eyes Naruto turned to press his forehead again the window, praying the cold glass to help his head. Nothing like that happened before the glass started to warm up due to the contact with the warm skin, but instead something very different occurred, something Naruto had never expected.

"Stop the car!" he yelled suddenly and then jerked forward as the surprised driver hit the break. He didn't even hear the man cursing loudly as he opened the door and then realized he was still buckled. Naruto's hands were shaking uncontrollably as he tried to free himself from the seatbelt, his chest now aching slightly from where the belt had bitten into his skin. He was breathing fast, his face white, and his hands were in an almost uncontrollable state, but finally he was free and scampering out of the car, his eyes darting around wildly in search of the figure he knew he'd seen there.

The street was empty, the gloomy yellow street lamps providing little light to the dark December night. The air was chilly and snowflakes were slowly dancing their way from the sky to the cold ground, some of them landing on Naruto's face as he stood there watching the scenery. They were still close to the bar, the cab driver had barely had time to move the car before he'd went on with his demands, and for nothing it now appeared.

His hands clenching into fists, Naruto glanced around once more, his eyes squinting as if trying to force Sasuke out of whatever hole he was hiding in. Sasuke was here, Naruto knew that for sure, he'd seen the raven standing under that one lamp post on the other side of the street. His hair had still been styled the same way and he had worn same clothes he had back then, simple yet stylish in the fake light that gave everything a sickly yellow glow.

He had been there, yet now there were no traces of him left. Naruto couldn't even tell whether there were any footsteps under the lamp, they were too far and his eyesight was still so blurry... But he was sure it had been Sasuke. No-one else he'd ever met in his life had had the identical hairdo and the same aura Sasuke had always had, one of confidence and knowledge of his abilities. It had been intimidating at first, but then Naruto had learned to appreciate it as well.

"Are you coming back on not?" the driver finally ended his thinking with his angry voice.

Naruto slowly shook his head and then nodded, crawling back to the car to his seat. He was shivering with cold now that he was back in the warm car and he had to grit his teeth for a while to keep them from clattering too loudly.

"Sorry", he murmured and got only a rolling of eyes in return as the driver started the car again and then headed to the earlier given address, grumbling something at himself.

Naruto was shaken awake when the car stopped in front of the house he lived in. Murmuring something incomprehensible he dug through his pockets searching for his wallet and then handed the driver a couple of bills without even checking them, hoping that it was enough to pay for his ride. Apparently he had a bit of luck today because the man didn't call after him as he climbed out of the car into the cold night.

The moon was bright and as he glanced at the sky, Naruto was sure he could've seen stars too if all the streets lamps were switched off. Now it was too bright down here and he sighed, making his way to the front door. Halfway there he felt his foot slip on the icy street and with a startled yelp he found himself sitting on the sidewalk, snow fluttering all around him.

It was quiet. Sitting still, Naruto listened to the uncharacteristic silence of the city, his eyes following tiny snowflakes as they slowly floated towards the ground to join their sisters and brothers in making the world white and pretty for Christmas. A soft hum of traffic was there still, but it sounded like it came from somewhere far far away, and idly Naruto wondered if it was because of the snow.

A particularly large snowflake drifted down from the dark sky and in a spur of a moment the blonde stuck out his tongue, reaching to catch it. It melted immediately, leaving his tongue tingling from cold for half a second and Naruto chuckled softly. Then he was forced to laugh at again, just because it sounded so funny when his tongue was sticking out like now.

He sat there in the snow for good fifteen minutes, watching the snow fall and slowly cover his feet with the white blanket. There was no-one out at the moment, it was a quiet area after all, and Naruto was feeling a bit too good just sitting there. The cold was helping with his headache a little and as long as he didn't attempt to move he didn't feel too nauseated either, so he was actually rather content. Nothing in the night was making him think of Sasuke either, and for a while Naruto contemplated lying back and letting the snow cover him completely.

It was such a tempting idea. He could fall asleep here and not have to think about anything anymore. Maybe he'd wake up in the morning, maybe not, it didn't really concern the man much at the moment, but what finally got him back to his feet was his pants. Sitting on the snow had melted it a lot and thus even his boxers were getting soaked, the wet fabric feeling extremely unpleasant against his skin as it stuck to him.

Swearing loudly, Naruto pushed himself back to his feet, feeling rather unsteady as he took a few steps towards the door and then almost stumbled over again. It was so cold, now that he'd gotten up he realized how cold he actually was. His entire body was shaking and as he stood in the elevator waiting for it to reach his floor, the blonde thought he'd be lucky if the sound of his teeth chattering didn't wake up all his neighbors. It took him a moment to find his keys, and as soon as he was inside he began to shred off his clothes to get rid of the feeling he'd just peed into his panties.

Except that pee was warm.

A trail of wet clothes lead from Naruto's front door to his bedroom when the man was done stripping, and he curled up in his bed butt naked, pulling the covers over him as he tried to stop the crazy shivering. His toes felt numb and so did his fingers, but that was what you got for going out without proper clothing. Yawning, Naruto reached to touch his behind curiously, and he grinned stupidly as his fingers pressed on the cold skin. Wow, like someone had tried to freeze his poor ass...

_A low snarl rose from Sasuke's throat as he was slammed against the bedroom door, a solid body pressing against his own and holding him still. A muscular thigh pressed between his legs and started to rub slowly, the raven's lips clamping shut to hold inside the groan._

_Naruto chuckled, pressing his lips against Sasuke's again for a heated, almost feverish kiss. Heat was coursing through his veins and making his skin tingle and burn everywhere Sasuke touched him, the raven's fingers sending pleasurable jolts through his body as they ran down his back and slid under his shirt. The blonde shivered, sucking Sasuke's tongue into his mouth, and as he momentarily stilled his leg the raven's hips immediately ground back against him._

_It was impossible to think clearly, and blindly Naruto fumbled for the doorknob, to open the door and let them into the bedroom. What he didn't remember though was that the door opened into the room, and as soon as he got handle of the knob Sasuke let out a little startled noise as he fell backwards, taking Naruto with him._

_They lay on the floor as a grumbled heap for a moment, Naruto sprawled out on the top of the other man. The fall had knocked breath out of Sasuke, with Naruto's heavy body crashing on his, but he was the first to recover anyway. With a low groan he grabbed Naruto's shoulders and attempted to push him away. Yes, he was drunk and still more aroused than he could recall being in a long while, but the floor still wasn't his preferred surface. And besides, something was digging into his lower back annoyingly, distracting him from doing what he most wanted to; touch the other man's body on the top of him. _

_Naruto blinked as he was pushed, shaking his head slightly. The fall had surprised him but he hadn't really even hit the floor, Sasuke taking all the impact and softening his fall remarkably. Grinning down at the raven, he placed his hands on the floor and pushed his upper body away from the other man, only to have his hips pressing tighter into Sasuke's._

_Both men let out matching groans and the pale hands found their way to Naruto's ass, holding him tight where he was so Sasuke could grind up against him. _

_Naruto watched the raven as his pale lips parted and he gasped sharply, giving Naruto's ass a demanding squeeze. The blonde chuckled breathlessly and rolled them over, to hold Sasuke on the top of him. The raven gave him a questioning look before diving into another kiss, a small war for dominance being soon over as Naruto to over the kiss, sucking small noises out of Sasuke. He used the moment of distraction to slide his hand down the raven's bare side, the soft skin feeling amazing under his fingers._

_He just didn't have time to enjoy the touch right now. Driven forward by the lust welling up inside him, Naruto reached for Sasuke's front, his fingers searching for the other's fly. In a blink of an eye the raven realized what was happening and he lifted his hips a little, pressing their chests together instead. The tan hands made quick work of zipping his pants and a loud moan was drawn from Sasuke's mouth as the said fingers wrapped around his arousal, giving him a few curious strokes._

_"Commando, huh?" Naruto husked, knowing that his voice was radiating all the desire and need he felt. They had been dancing around this since their first kiss, getting physically closer and closer every time they had met, and now that he was so close to getting what he wanted it was hard to go even this slowly._

_"Always", Sasuke murmured back with a smirk that wasn't quite as controlled as it usually appeared. He had again hooked his fingers under Naruto's shirt and dragged it upwards, his fingertips rubbing the tanned skin and finally meeting a perky nipple. He twirled it gently and then pinched it quickly, earning a loud gasp from the man on the top of him. That was about all he could do before Naruto's hand started moving again, his back arching and whole body shaking as the blonde stroked him. _

_With unsteady hands Sasuke reached for the other man's pants, the task of unzipping Naruto jeans becoming a lot harder with the way the hand was playing with his erection all the time. It was almost as if Naruto was enjoying it, the way he could make Sasuke lose all the control as he fought to get into the blonde's pants. _

_Chuckling, Naruto leaned to press a kiss on the raven's lips, his hand stilling long enough to let Sasuke unzip his pants and pull them down around his thighs along with his boxers. Then he swatted the pale hand away, ignoring the confused look in Sasuke's eyes, and his hips lifted up to meet the other's. _

_The way the dark eyes rolled back as Naruto brought their cocks together was enough to make the blonde moan, pleasure playing across his face. He didn't waste time as he gently curled his fingers around both their arousals and started stroking them together._

_Pleasure was clouding his mind entirely and he reached up with his other hand, grabbing Sasuke's hair and yanking him down for another rough kiss. Naruto couldn't think, he was acting based on instincts only, and right now his body was telling him to speed up his hand. That was exactly what the blonde did, making someone moan in the process, he couldn't really tell their voices apart anymore, and Sasuke's hands grabbed his hair roughly, his whole body arching into the raven's in desperate need as he felt his stomach tightening, his orgasm almost there already._

The blue eyes flashed wide open and Naruto was immediately painfully awake, his body shaking uncontrollably. It took him a moment to remember where he was, and with that realization came some other things. He was nothing like cold anymore, familiar warmth still lingering around his groin area, and he didn't have to look to know that his sheets were soiled.

A frustrated sigh left his lips as he rolled over to his side, too tired to take care of the mess now since it was hardly morning yet, and his eyes fell shut again. Naruto bit his lip in frustration, wanting to bang his head to the wall. He was suddenly feeling so utterly lonely he wasn't sure how he was going to bear it if he couldn't fall asleep again. The dream he'd just had had been about their first time of having sex, the hasty yet memorable experience that had taken place in this same bed. It maybe hadn't been the best sex Naruto had ever had, but it sure as hell had been the most pleasurable and satisfying - at least for a moment. During the lonely hours that had followed after Sasuke had left had taught Naruto that he might not be able to get enough of Sasuke quite so quickly.

Clutching his pillow, Naruto squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, trying to force Sasuke away from his head. It was bringing the headache back and now that he thought about it he was getting a little nauseous too, his stomach churning unpleasantly. Biting his lip even harder he tried his best to will all those things away, forcing himself to think about his old math classroom to keep Sasuke away. That room had had an amazing sedative effect on him, he had only had to step into the room and he had always immediately started feeling drowsy, and more often than not he hadn't made it even halfway through the class before falling asleep.

There had to be something magical about that room, because the next time Naruto opened his eyes it was light in his room and the alarm clock on his nightstand read 01:26 Apparently he'd slept a little bit longer than he'd meant to, but at least his headache was gone. There was an unpleasant taste in his mouth though, and carefully Naruto got up, testing his legs with a couple of tiny steps before heading to the bathroom to relieve himself and flush his mouth as well as brush his teeth.

As soon as he was there though his eyes caught a sight of the shower. Suddenly hot water sounded quite appealing, his skin feeling sticky and sweaty, and besides he didn't mind the chance to have something else to do than gathering his clothes from where he'd left them last night. He'd picked up his shirt from the bedroom floor on his way here, and it alone had smelled rather... unappealing.

The next few hours Naruto had spent nursing himself and getting rid of all the evidence of last night. Then, seeing that his fridge was practically empty, he had finally dressed up in decent clothes and headed down to a grocery store. The young man did understand that it was rather pitiful that Christmas was only three days away and he didn't have any food home, but he honestly hadn't had time for preparing anything. And besides, he had already promised to go over to Sakura's to spend his Christmas, so there was no need for anything fancy.

Strolling down the narrow path between the food shelves, Naruto eyed the selection of noodles critically. He was still few steps away from ramen cups, and nothing else was catching his eye really, it wasn't like anything else could compare with ramen after all. As he got to the said noodles, the blonde piled a little over twenty cups to his shopping cart and then shook his head, turning around to head back to the meat section.

When he raised his eyes from the floor his heart almost stopped as he found himself staring into the all too familiar black eyes.

For a moment Naruto was frozen, and during that time the man at the other end of the aisle had already turned away and disappeared behind the shelves with a flash of ink-colored hair. the blonde's lips were parted as he stared at the empty spot where Sasuke had stood, and quietly he uttered the man's name, his mind kicking in a bit too late.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled out, abandoning his shopping cart and scaring an elderly lady half dead as he rushed past her, desperate to catch up with Sasuke. As he turned behind the shelves to the same direction the raven had gone his feet almost slipped on the floor and he growled in frustration, seeing the dark hair right in front of him.

He shouted the male's name again, and as the raven in front of him turned around Naruto's heart sank, disappointment gripping his throat. The man wasn't Sasuke. He had hair that was almost the same color but it didn't look like it would reflect blue in any kind of lighting, and his eyes were much lighter, only dark brown as they looked back at him in confusion.

After staring at the stranger for a moment Naruto uttered something incomprehensible, his face flaming red as he turned away and returned to his shopping cart, his heart still hammering in his chest. He had been so sure the man had been Sasuke, the look in the dark eyes hadn't been the one of a stranger and he couldn't believe he'd mistaken the slightly ruffled hairstyle the stranger had had to Sasuke's finely spiked black locks. It had been Sasuke, it had to be, yet the man was nowhere to be seen anymore, and the disappointment was making Naruto feel like he'd have to punch someone or he'd explode.

Or get drunk. That would help too.

Which was pretty much why the blonde found himself from the same old bar once again. It was quiet, only two customers plus himself, it was Sunday evening after all, and the other two weren't paying Naruto any attention, being the older men killing time over beer drinking that they were.

Not that Naruto liked it though. He hadn't wanted to come again, but he couldn't help the feeling that he had to come again. It hadn't been this bad in months, actually. When Sasuke had just disappeared mysteriously after their first date he hadn't thought much of it. The raven had the habit of coming and going without informing anyone about it, and for the first two weeks Naruto hadn't been worried. It had been Christmas time after all, and maybe Sasuke had simply wanted to go to his family instead spending time with the blonde like they had planned. It was no big deal, Naruto hadn't really believed that Sasuke would've wanted to be with him that much anyway, but then came January.

January turned to February and the man found himself spending more and more time in the bar, downing drink after drink and waiting for the familiar dark-haired figure to enter through the door and smile at him. Okay, maybe smiling was a bit too much, but he would've been content with a smirk only, or even a glare. As soon as it came from Sasuke.

But as time passed Naruto felt the hope slowly dying inside him. For a while he still could keep it alive, feeding the tiny flame inside with everything he could, holding onto the memories of the raven, but after three months from Sasuke's disappearance he had given up. No voluntarily though, but with some help from Sakura and Kiba. Those two had finally forced him out of the odd slumber Sasuke had thrown him into by leaving and to be honest, Naruto's summer hadn't been all that bad. He had even gone to a few dates, if only to make Sakura satisfied, and if they hadn't resulted with anything but a couple of nights to relieve the tension, they had been fun.

Came the autumn, and Naruto found himself thinking about Sasuke again. It had started from him seeing a man that resembled the raven a lot on the street near the bar, and since then the memories had come rushing back. It was also easier to associate Sasuke with times when it was dark and gloomy somehow, rain falling and leaves slowly dying and so on. The weather on autumn reminded him of Sasuke, and eventually Naruto was back to the bar. Nothing seemed to have changed, except for one thing: he wasn't there waiting for Sasuke anymore.

He just wanted to remember and forget everything at the same time, and what other bar could've been more suitable?

_"Go out with me!" Naruto's lips were pressed into a thin line as he stared at Sasuke, determination sparkling in his eyes. They were sitting at the bar counter this time, nursing their drinks but neither really interested in drinking itself._

_The dark-haired man turned to look at him from the television screen he'd been watching and arched a brow._

_"We're out already, dobe", he answered flatly, but something in his voice told Naruto that his curiosity had been peaked._

_Shaking his head, Naruto moved his drink out of the way to lean on the counter as he reached to take Sasuke's hand, his eyes squinting a little._

_"No, I meant like... going out out."_

_"Well, they do have a couple of tables outside but I think I prefer staying out of the cold, thank you", Sasuke countered with a hint of a smirk gracing his lips._

_Naruto snarled._

_"You know what I mean, bastard. I'm asking you out on a date." He wasn't sure how to read Sasuke and the way the raven was circling around the subject, but then again it was Sasuke, and he could never know what would come from the man. What he did know was that the raven found him at least physically attractive, they had been fucking around a few times already, but it never guaranteed anything._

_Sasuke was silent for a moment, his eyebrow twitching as he thought about the question. For some reason, he looked slightly hesitant in his silence, in a way that Naruto had never seen him before. It wasn't like Sasuke to be unsure of himself, and suddenly the blonde had a urgent desire to take back the question, his mouth opening to force out the words he really didn't want to say._

_"I mean, uh, you don't really have to if you don't want to, it's okay, I just... It doesn't matter, we can just continue like this, it's fine with me. And besides, it was a joke anyway!" The blonde let out a forced laugh, squirming and not looking at Sasuke. But the laughter died on his lips as he realized the other man was still being quiet, and rubbing his neck embarrassedly he turned to look up at Sasuke again, the odd look on the other's face making him frown._

_"Sasuke?" he questioned unsurely, wondering why the raven looked suddenly so tense._

_Glaring at him as he heard his name, Sasuke shrugged slowly._

_"Too bad. I would've said yes", he admitted nonchalantly before turning back to the television._

_Naruto gaped at the back of Sasuke's head, both hoping and fearing he'd heard it wrong. Then, unable to hold himself back, he let out a funny squeak-ish sound and bounced off his stool, wrapping his arms around the raven from behind and making him jump and spill the drink from his glass all over the counter._

_"Naruto!" the man hissed, but he was immediately silenced with heavy hands grabbing his chin and turning his face up for a surprise kiss. He let out a muffled 'oomph' sound before pressing his palms on the strong chest and pushing the other away, or at least trying to._

_Naruto merely broke the kiss, the force behind Sasuke's push not able to break his balance, and he grinned at the raven. _

_"Of course I wasn't joking", he murmured, enjoying the slight blush on the raven's face._

_"Stop it, dobe, people are watching."_

Sighing, Naruto picked up his bottle and brought it to his lips, his eyes closing and his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed the liquid. He'd been lost in his thoughts for a while, the good memories momentarily overpowering the grief he'd felt for Sasuke leaving, and during his private reminiscing time the bar had slowly become more crowded. Despite the odd hour, there was a number of people inside, including a young woman with long red hair sitting on the stool next to his and watching him curiously.

As she noticed Naruto's eyes on him she winked and leaned closer, smiling softly.

"Hello, handsome", she greeted confidently, licking her lips.

Naruto blinked, confused. It was not time for women like that to be out, unless she was a hooker which was something he didn't really believe. Sunday evening, for Christ's sake, people were meant to be home! Unless they were like him, with no-one at home to go back to.

The thought made him immediately feel bad for the young woman, his imagination quickly painting the lady a sad background, and he was practically forced to smile and greet her back.  
"Hey there. I didn't notice you came in", Naruto admitted apologetically.

The woman waved it off immediately, her smile growing a little.  
"Yeah, I noticed you were kind of... lost. What were you thinking?" she asked curiously, her manicured fingernails tapping against her glass.

The question made something sting inside Naruto and he shrugged, his smile becoming a bit more forced.  
"Nothing, really. Or more like lots of things."

A frown crossed the woman's face and she opened her mouth again, saying something that went past Naruto's ears. A bell on the door had dingled gently just a moment ago, signifying that someone had opened the door, and right there, at the doorway had just now stood Sasuke.

This time there was no doubt about it. The same face, the same hairstyle, the same eyes, even the same coat Naruto had seen him wearing last autumn. But the raven had just stood there, staring back at him for barely five seconds before his eyes had drifted to a woman leaning to suspiciously close to Naruto. He'd then closed his eyes for a second and turned away, the door falling shut behind him.

Naruto was on his feet when the door had barely clicked shut, the woman letting out a surprised noise.

"I'm sorry", he murmured before dashing to the door, leaving the bartender staring at him with the woman. He didn't care about her right now, he didn't even remember he should've paid for his beer, all he cared about was Sasuke and the look that had flashed in those endless eyes as he'd seen Naruto with the woman.

Naruto's heart was hammering in his chest, blood rushing in his ears and his legs feeling heavy as he tried to move faster, to get out to follow Sasuke. He was now sure that it had been the raven in the grocery store, somehow he had juts disappeared back then, and it had to have been Sasuke the night before standing outside the bar. Why he had chosen to just stand there and avoid Naruto didn't really cross the blonde's mind, he only had to get to Sasuke.

The cold air hit him in the face and he blinked at the sight of snow swirling down from the sky, faster and heavier than the previous day. It had gotten pretty dark too, but even the darkness or the snowfall couldn't hide a figure of a man walking swiftly down the street, away from the bar. Recognizing the walk immediately Naruto turned on his heels and dashed after the man, his throat feeling too thick and his lips too dry for him to even considering yelling after Sasuke.

His feet thumped the snowy street as the man picked up speed, the distance between them growing smaller and smaller until he was finally close enough to reach out to stop Sasuke.

Either sensing or hearing someone there, the raven around just when the blonde's hand was held out to his direction to grab his shoulder, and a look of surprise crossed his features as he stopped.

Naruto, though, was still moving forward, his reflexes failing him, and without a chance to stop his body crashed with Sasuke's, sending them both to the cold sidewalk. Snow whirled wildly around them as they tried to catch their breath and just generally let the situation sink in.

His breathing coming out in fast pants, Naruto finally lifted his head from Sasuke's chest where it had been resting and turned his eyes to the man's face, almost afraid of what he would see. He met the familiar black eyes staring down at him blankly. They weren't rejecting like they'd often been, no, just devoid of any emotion, as though Sasuke really wasn't sure what to expect from him.

The blonde let out a strangled noise, pushing himself up on his hands and knees, and then crawled up Sasuke's frame until the man was exactly under him, their faces on the same level. He stared down at the obsidian eyes, suddenly unable to say anything as he took in the other's face for the first time in what had felt like an eternity to him. Naruto's heart was still beating madly, as if trying to make its way through his chest, and much to his horror he suddenly realized his eyes felt moist.

"Sasuke..." It was all he could say, and with that he crushed his lips on the raven's, without even thinking about what might follow such an act. Sasuke's lips were cold against his like the man had been outside for a while already, but they started to warm up slowly as Naruto's tongue pushed against them, demanding Sasuke to open up and let him inside again.

Finally the raven did, his lips parting almost hesitantly, but the moment of insecurities passed quickly and he pushed his tongue against Naruto's, letting out a soft groan as the blonde immediately accepted the challenge. The still-tanned hands grabbed the raven hair and Sasuke's hands in return fisted the back of Naruto's shirt, holding onto him as the kiss got even more heated, a trail of saliva escaping the corner of Sasuke's lips and running down his chin, neither of them noticing.

Naruto's body pressed down to Sasuke's, all his longing and pain and lost hope being poured to that one single kiss. Sasuke kissed him back with the same desperation, his teeth biting into the blonde's lower lip to draw out a hoarse moan and a growl right after that.

When Naruto finally pulled back they were both flushed and panting again. The blonde moved only enough to break the kiss, his lips still so close to Sasuke's that he could feel the raven's breathing ghost on his skin. Slowly he opened his eyes, meeting Sasuke's own, and for a few seconds the moment remained almost alarmingly tender before a familiar smirk suddenly twisted Sasuke's mouth.

Naruto was immediately snapped out of his daze and he bolted to sit up, grabbing Sasuke's collar and pulling him along, anger sparkling in his eyes.

"You fucking bastard!" he groaned hoarsely, not giving Sasuke a time to retaliate before his fist connected with the pale jaw and drew a grunt of pain from the raven.

"Shit!" Sasuke snarled, trying to grab Naruto's wrists but the blonde was faster.

He evaded Sasuke's hands while throwing another punch at the raven's face, the hold he still had of Sasuke's collar keeping the man in place. Something let out a sickening crunch and blood started to pour out of a cut on the raven's lip, his hands finally finding purchase on the front of Naruto's shirt. Sasuke pushed and bucked his hips at the same time, throwing the blonde off balance just when he was about to throw the third blow, and with another hard shove at Naruto the raven managed to roll away from him and then jump back to his feet.

"Fuck, Naruto", Sasuke hissed, wiping his lips with the back of his hand as he stared at the blonde's attempts to get back to his feet.

Naruto cursed loudly, the few beers he'd had making everything slightly hazy in his eyes, but he refused to give up. He was swaying a little as he finally stood up but at least he was on his feet and glaring at Sasuke who was only a few feet away from him. The whole situation felt so unreal, he was almost sure he was dreaming again, there was no way the raven had actually come back...

Sasuke stared back at him, his split lip already swelling despite the cold as he frowned, looking a bit taken aback. He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again, the reflection of the street lamps making his dark eyes sparkle oddly in the darkening night. The raven took a step forward, his brows his furrowed as he tried to read Naruto, but the blonde would take none of that.

With a furious growl Naruto launched forward, and even though Sasuke probably could've stepped aside he let the man get him, sending them to ground again. He didn't mind the pain of being throw to the ground nor did he notice the weight of Naruto landing on the top of him, he was already rolling them over, trying to get the upper hand. His body twisted and he finally had Naruto pinned down under him, the blue eyes flaming as the blonde fought to kick him off or roll them around again. Sasuke straightened a little, keeping Naruto still with his weight and holding the other's hands against the ground above the blond-haired hair by the wrists. He wasn't sure if he wanted to fight, but the way Naruto was acting, he couldn't really do anything but to play along.

"Why the hell are you here?" Naruto growled, his words coming out short and clipped as he fought to He wasn't wearing even a coat but he didn't notice the cold, adrenaline keeping him warm still. Snowflakes kept landing on his skin and melting immediately and his breath formed small clouds in the air. Even while speaking he hadn't stopped struggling against Sasuke's hold, his body shuddering and trashing under the slightly taller man in what could've been taken as only anger and hatred but that held something more intimate underneath.

Sasuke didn't answer right away, his hold of Naruto's hands tightening, and the now dark blue eyes narrowed into slits, another low feral growl escaping his lips.

"Answer me!" Naruto yelled hoarsely, bucking wildly in order to throw Sasuke off balance and that way free himself. It didn't have much effect, the raven just moved him and then pressed his body even closer to Naruto's. The warmth radiating from the other man made something immediately stir in Naruto's gut and it only served as heating his anger, his awakening arousal making him want to desperately punch Sasuke again. That bastard had no right to come back after a year like this and have Naruto still wrapped around his little finger like this.

"Answer me, I said!"

Sasuke's only answer was a heated glare and without a warning he ground his hips down against Naruto's, forcing a gasp from the blonde's lips. His thoughts were racing but in the center of everything was the man he now had pinned to the ground underneath him, struggling to get apparently, with that struggling, Naruto had found new flexibility within himself, because suddenly there was a foot coming from nowhere and connecting with his side.

The kick wasn't a hard one, the angle made it impossible for Naruto to load much force into it, but it did surprise Sasuke and he grunted, the few seconds of distraction being enough for Naruto to yank his hands free. He grabbed Sasuke roughly and rolled them over in the snow, the white substance sticking to his hair and back as he straddled the raven in turn, not bothering with his hands. Instead the blonde grabbed Sasuke by the collar and yanked him up, shaking him roughly.

"Why are you here?" Naruto repeated with a hint of desperation in his voice. He didn't give a damn about Sasuke's hands as they flew to grab his wrists, trying to wrench them away from his collar. He was searching the answer from the pitch-black eyes, needing at least something to tell him what was going on. Why had Sasuke come back? He had already let go of the hope months ago, he didn't want to get it back when he knew Sasuke would probably just disappear again.

"Naruto", the dark-haired man choked out, his voice sounding strained with Naruto holding his collar like that.

"Tell me!" Naruto cried out loudly enough to be heard inside the bar for sure even if they weren't exactly next to it anymore, and then crushed his lips against Sasuke's in a desperate kiss. It was a heaty fast kiss, breaking every now and then as Naruto pulled back just enough to breathe and whisper 'tell me' before diving back to the kiss.

The blonde held the control the entire time, even after he'd let Sasuke's head fall back to the ground. His hips were grinding against the other man's, his arousal throbbing in his pants and pressing against the constricting fabric almost painfully. Naruto knew Sasuke could feel it but he didn't care, the only thing in his head being the need to drag the answer out of Sasuke.

"Tell me, bastard", he groaned breathlessly fore gasping as Sasuke's hands grabbed his ass and pressed him down, tighter against himself, and then his lips were occupied again.

Naruto bit, sucked, rocked, grabbed Sasuke's hair, did everything he could to get closer to the man. The clothes were still on the way and he didn't even think about the time or the place as he began to yank Sasuke's coat off, a couple of buttons popping around as he did.

That was finally when Sasuke's hands shot up and grabbed Naruto's wrists and he broke their kiss, panting roughly against Naruto's lips.

"Not here, dumbass", he snarled, taking Naruto by surprise as he pushed him off and slithered free from under him. Without giving the blonde time to complain he yanked Naruto to his feet and smashed him against a wall next to a window of a small grocery store that had been closed for some hours already.

The snow was falling heavily now, separating the two of them from the rest of the world as Sasuke captured Naruto's lips to another kiss, fumbling through his pockets at the same time. his fingers curled around a small metallic object and he pulled it out, pressing it to Naruto's hand.

"Call us a cab", he husked, giving the man one last kiss before making sure Naruto actually dialed the number.

The need and the longing were coursing through the blonde's veins as he quickly searched through the contact list, finally finding a cab call number and pressing the dial button. He was shuddering roughly from their actions, his lips feeling swollen and his erection straining unpleasantly in his pants. Naruto couldn't see anything in the white that surrounded them, anything but Sasuke, and he wondered how the cab driver was going to find them in the middle of all that snow.

The cab ride to Naruto's place had been horrible. They had sat as far from each other as possible, feeling suddenly very uncomfortable trapped in such a small place, and the way the driver kept glancing at them didn't help at all. Naruto's hands had itched to touch Sasuke again, he had had to sit on them to force himself to keep them away, but Sasuke didn't appear too bothered. He just sat there, gazing out of the window and watching the scenery passing by, not even once looking back at Naruto even when the blonde was sure his stare was burning holes to the back of the raven's head.

The longer they sat in the car the more difficult it got, and when they stopped in front of the right house Naruto was already rocking back and forth slightly, trying to keep himself in control. It was so difficult, and the doubt was already sinking in with the way Sasuke kept ignoring him, his hope flickering. Maybe the raven hadn't come to stay after all? That might be, why else would he be acting like this...

Naruto hopped out of the car, leaving Sasuke to pay, and then quickly led his companion to his apartment, trying to make as little noise as possible. It was late already and he didn't want to wake up anyone, but no matter how silent he was being he couldn't hear Sasuke's steps as the raven followed it him, and it creeped him out a little bit. Not that he believed in ghosts, but the man was a bit too good at coming and going and disappearing to not make him nervous at all.

His apartment was quiet and dark and he flicked on the lights, kicking off his shoes and gesturing Sasuke to do the same. As Naruto tried to strip his coat he realized he didn't have it, and it took him a moment to realize he had left it at the bar. A muffled curse made it past his lips and he glanced at Sasuke quickly, finding the raven staring at him oddly. He wasn't sure what to make of that look, the dark brows were furrowed and Sasuke looked like he wasn't sure whether to stay or run away, and Naruto felt something clench in his stomach. Why had he let himself hope so much?

"So...", he murmured, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

"Something hot to drink?"

Sasuke nodded immediately, actually appearing slightly relieved to have Naruto saying something. Silently he followed the blonde into the kitchen and then sat down to one of the three chairs Naruto had there. He looked strangely out of place with his fine looks and the way he still managed to look poised even while somewhat ruffled from all the rolling in the snow they had been doing. The raven was following the other man with his eyes, appearing neither interested nor bored, his face entirely blank.

Gulping, Naruto tore his eyes away from Sasuke, hurrying to fuzz over the tea he had decided to make. He would've chosen hot chocolate himself but he knew the other man didn't like it so he settled for tea, keeping his back to Sasuke as much as he could. That way he wouldn't be reminded of the fact that the man was actually here and then would soon be gone. It was unusual to have him here, the only couple of times Sasuke had ever been over were when they'd been fucking like rabbits for a night, and the man had always disappeared without waking Naruto up in the morning. It had been so frustrating, but Naruto had put up with it for Sasuke's sake only.

Now he felt only uncomfortable and still oddly drawn to the man. Despite how odd it was, Sasuke was still Sasuke and he was here, like a dream come true to Naruto. If only the raven hadn't been so damn tense...

The blonde almost knocked over a mug and then a cartoon of milk as he fumbled around, trying to make the process of making tea as slow as possible. Finally he was forced to turn around and meet Sasuke's eyes, almost afraid of what he would see.

"Here you go", Naruto offered, wincing as his voice sounded way too loud in the silent apartment. He placed the mug on the table in front of Sasuke, avoiding the stare of the dark eyes if only to keep himself from jumping the man and devouring him right then and there.

"Um, sugar? Milk?"

Sasuke shook his head, bringing the mug to his lips. He didn't drink yet, only had the searing hot liquid touching his lips gently, and then he brought it back to the table, watching Naruto intensely.

"Do you think I could borrow the shower"

Naruto blinked from where he was still standing next to the sink, glancing down at Sasuke's clothes. The raven was still wearing the same shirt that had been on him as he'd been lying in the snow and it looked both cold and wet still. The hot drink had probably done some good warming Sasuke up, but now that he knew

One glance down at his mug and then at Sasuke, and Naruto placed his mug on the drainboard, looking apologetic as he stepped back.

"Of course, yeah...", he answered, this time keeping his voice low enough not to startle himself. He glanced down at his mug again and then took half a step towards the bathroom, still feeling hesitant despite his words. Having Sasuke naked in any part of his apartment might not be such a good idea, because he wasn't sure if he could hold himself back.

After watching him for a moment, Sasuke shook his head and smirked dryly.

"I'll go then", he commanded softly, the look in his eyes laughing at Naruto's insecurities.

Feeling a bit stupid, Naruto nodded and abandoned his mug, hurrying to fetch Sasuke a towel. The clean ones were in a closet in his bedroom so that was where he was headed, going through his towels in search of one that didn't look totally worn out or didn't have any permanent stains on it. Finally he settled with a huge orange and rather fluffy towel, one of his own favorites and also the one he had used the least, and then returned to the bathroom door, knocking on it with a slightly nervous feeling pooling in his gut.

He received no answer except the sound of running water, and hesitantly the blonde tried the doorknob, finding the door unlocked. Naruto waited a moment with his hand on the knob and then shook his head, pulling the door open and keeping his eyes narrowed as if it could prevent him from seeing Sasuke at all. If he couldn't see the raven he could prevent he wasn't even here.

Sasuke didn't seem to notice his presence, and everything went well until Naruto had placed the towel on the toilet seat waiting to be used. That was when the raven let out a deep groan, one that made Naruto's whole body heat up in an instant and something in his pants twitching. Telling himself to bear it like a man Naruto turned his back to the spray of water and closed his eyes, taking little steps towards the door and praying that the raven would keep quiet until he was out. He was already so temped to look, his whole body itching with the urge to get just one glance. One glance would be enough, then he could leave in peace...

Another groan echoed in the room before Naruto could even finish his thoughts, and with that the blonde's resolve grumbled to the ground in tiny pieces. Despite himself he turned to Sasuke's direction, his eyes wide open and taking in the other's frame.

It was just as perfect as Naruto remembered. The water ran over a body that was lean and muscled, the beautiful porcelain skin being smooth and even all over his body. The muscles flexed as the raven reached up to run fingers through his hair, the perfectly formed lips parting with what was apparently a sigh. The curve of Sasuke's ass made his cock jump inside his pants and as the raven shifted a little the blonde got a glimpse of his limp cock, the sight being enough to make his mouth dry. It was just so fucking perfect, especially with the water making Sasuke's skin glisten in the light, and the little noises the raven was letting out , and he was supposed to just go out and forget what he'd just seen?

Naruto wasn't sure how long he had stood there watching like a stalker, it could've been anything from a couple of minutes to twenty, but he was suddenly very aware of his own body and needs. He had shifted his weight in a way that had made his arousal strain against the fabric of his pants very unpleasantly, and without even thinking about it he reached down and unzipped his pants, only to give himself a bit more space. From there, however, his hands continued to rub over his arousal, the boxers feeling awfully constricting . The man gulped, giving Sasuke a hesitant look before his body took over.

Quickly, trying not to think too much about it, Naruto peeled off his clothes, all of them, and let them in a pile on the floor. He didn't even think about the possibility of Sasuke maybe wanting him to join and leaving the door unlocked because of that as he silently stepped into the shower with Sasuke, pulling the man against his chest from behind.

He felt the raven jolt in surprise and for a moment it felt like Sasuke was going to turn around and punch him, the feeling making Naruto bite his lips to calm his nerves. As more time passes however he relaxed a little, holding Sasuke tighter with one hand and using one to run over the other's body, trying to the muscle and the slender curves.

His lips were parted, but he didn't have it in himself to speak. He tried once but no sound came out so he just stopped trying altogether, squeezing his eyes shut and hoping from the bottom of his heart that what he was doing was right. Sasuke wasn't resisting him, but Naruto still didn't know what the man actually wanted. He was letting Naruto hold him, touch him, even keep his chin resting on the raven's shoulder, but it was impossible to be sure about anything with Sasuke.

That was why Naruto waited until Sasuke finally leaned against him and sighed before actually touching him. With the water still spraying on them, he ran his hand up Sasuke's chest until his fingers found a hardening nipple and started rubbing. He fondled the dusky nub gently before giving it a surprise pinch, enjoying the little yelp he got from Sasuke, and continued with the treatment until the said nipple was all hard and obviously very sensitive, at least according to the way the raven arched and fought to hold back moans as Naruto kept touching it.

His own arousal pressing against Sasuke's ass crack, the blonde moved his hand to the second nipple, repeating the treatment until the raven was no longer breathing steadily. He could feel the pale body shivering in his hold, his erection gently rubbing against Sasuke's ass and reminding him that no matter how nice it was to stay close like this, there were ways to get even closer. Naruto chuckled breathlessly and ran his hand down to Sasuke's stomach, rubbing the well formed muscles there. Sasuke's back arched and he groaned displeasedly, urging Naruto to get on with it.

The tan hand slid lower, brushing against the dark curls on Sasuke's lower stomach and then tugging them gently, a warning growl rising from the raven's throat as he was being teased. Sasuke's hips bucked again and then ground viciously back against Naruto's, the blonde's arousal greeting the friction with a merry twitch, and almost immediately Naruto found himself rocking against Sasuke's ass. His cock slid up and down along the raven's ass crack and he could feel the muscles on the raven's stomach tightening and then relaxing again, the water still pouring over them.

Demanding fingers wound their way to Naruto's hair and yanked roughly, the sudden stinging of his abused scalp making the tanned young man snarl. Not that he minded the pain, and there was something extremely arousing in the way Sasuke was practically both begging and commanding him to move on. The fingers tightened their hold again and Naruto groaned, letting his hand slip down to the raven's groin in order to keep his hair still attached to his head.

Sasuke's back arched almost impossibly, his hips bucking head falling back to rest on Naruto's shoulder. His lips were agape but no sound was heard, the groan of pleasure being muffled by the shower, and his body shook as Naruto slowly wrapped his fingers around the raven's cock, giving it a few firm strokes. The older man's long fingers fumbled to hold onto something, finally grabbing Naruto's hips and digging into his skin, his hips thrusting into the calloused hand while also grinding back against the other's cock.

The spray of water was now hitting Sasuke's chest, some of it ricocheting to Naruto's face. The air was getting steamy and warm thanks to the hot water but neither men noticed, all their attention being on each other. Naruto groaned low from his throat into Sasuke's ear as he thrust forward, his hips easily matching Sasuke's movements while his hand kept jerking Sasuke off, the pale body shaking and arching against his own muscled one. It always amazed him how responsive the raven could be when he was caught off guard, it was nothing like his usual cold and composed act he put up most of the time and it never failed to arouse Naruto like nothing else. After the first time Sasuke had let go of his control, accidentally or not, it had become something Naruto took pleasure it, making the other man moan and shake and simply _react_ to everything he did.

Now he could tell Sasuke probably hadn't jerked off in a while, so easy it was for him to draw the little noises from the older male's lips. He could already feel the raven's stomach tightening, and as he slid his hand down to fondle Sasuke's balls briefly the groan the man let out almost had Naruto cumming immediately. His body shuddered wildly and he brought his hand back to the raven's arousal, finding it easy to stroke the shower wet cock. He slid his thumb over the head of Sasuke's arousal, briefly disappointed for not having any pre-cum there to feel much thanks to the shower washing it away. His disappointed was soon gone though as he felt the older man's knees buckle and the pale fingers on his hip gripping him even tighter.

"Naruto... Fuck, Naruto, I'm gonna..." That was all Sasuke had a chance to say before Naruto took the hint and gave his long lost lover's cock a firm squeeze, pumping the organ for a couple of times.

He got a reward for his efforts immediately. Sasuke let out a strangled moan, his hips bucking wildly as he reached his peak, strings of white spurting from his cock and staining his stomach and Naruto's hand for only a second or two before the water washed it away. His body shook against Naruto's as the blonde pulled him closer, using now his both hands to keep the raven standing as Sasuke basked in the afterglow of his orgasm, his breathing coming in short pants with his head still resting on Naruto's shoulder.

Gently stroking Sasuke's side with his thumb, the younger man grinned against his ear and then licked his neck, his grin widening even more as the raven let out a soft sigh, appreciating his actions. Naruto let his hand dip lower again, brushing it against Sasuke's limp cock and the raven groaned in response, trying to shift away from the touch to keep his overly sensitive cock out of reach. The blonde didn't give up though, his fingers gently rubbing the base of Sasuke's dick and coaxing him back to arousal. When the raven only moaned and pressed back against him he shook his head with a smile on his lips and then peeled Sasuke's fingers off his hips and hair, instead placing them on the shower wall against the plain gray tiles.

Naruto let go of his lover slowly, making sure that Sasuke could actually stand before leaning forward to press his lips on the man's shoulder, making his way with little kisses up to his ear and when the raven turned his head to his lips. It was a passionate yet slow kiss, rushed only from Naruto's part while Sasuke still radiated the deep satisfaction from a good orgasm. Their lips moved easily against each other, tongues lazily battling for dominance or what was left of it and ending up in Naruto's victory. He was the one to break the kiss as well with a little bite on Sasuke's lower lip, and he smiled at the man, watching the half-lidded yet sharp dark eyes intensely.

"I missed you", the blonde stated firmly, his voice quiet yet determined, and he saw Sasuke's eyes closing for a couple of seconds as the other drew in a long breath, pressing his body against Naruto's to benefit from the body heat the blonde was radiating.

"Hn", the raven finally grunted noncommittally when he finally opened his eyes, immediately holding Naruto's gaze.

Naruto blinked, slightly confused, but as he caught the little glint in the dark orbs he broke smiling again, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"That's nice, bastard", he murmured affectionately and then leaned to nuzzle his nose against Sasuke's.

The older man accepted such foolishness for maybe three seconds before pulling away, accidentally pressing his ass against Naruto's groin in the process, and the blonde was suddenly reminded of the fact that he had yet to get off. He huffed breathlessly and then kissed Sasuke's cheek quickly before pulling away.

"Just a second."

He stepped back and went to a little cupboard on the wall that held inside all his toiletries and grabbed a little tube of lubricant from there. It was a blank white tube that could be easily mistaken to a large toothpaste or hand lotion tube, which was why it had words "Do not use!" written on it with black permanent marker. Once before Naruto had been careless and grabbed the first tube from the cupboard when washing his teeth, and he'd gotten halfway through it before realizing that his toothpaste tasted a little odd. Why he had decided to write a warning on the tube instead of taking it out of the cupboard and storing it somewhere else remained a mystery, the black marker had worked just fine for him.

With the lubricant bottle in hand Naruto made his way back to Sasuke, turning the shower slightly away from them so it wouldn't bother him. He uncapped the tube quickly and squirted some of the substance to his hand, coating two fingers with it. From their previous encounters he could tell Sasuke didn't want him to go too slow which was why he walked right behind the raven again and pressed the two fingers against the wrinkled skin of the raven's entrance without asking a thing first.

Naruto leaned against Sasuke lightly as he pushed the fingers inside, the muscles immediately clamping and trying to push him out as the raven fought to remain in control of himself. He leaned in to bring his lips close to Sasuke's ear, his fingers slowly working their way deeper as the raven forced his muscles to relax and allow the intrusion.

"Still fighting me?" Naruto whispered just loud enough for Sasuke to hear, and the raven only growled in response, pushing his hips back sharply to Naruto's fingers. The fingers stopped moving, letting Sasuke's body suck them in voluntarily before they started stretching the man again. Naruto scissored his fingers and pressed a kiss on Sasuke's ear, finding it satisfactory to have the raven groaning and grinding back against his fingers. He also noticed that the other man was getting hard again, his erection growing and making the blonde grin in satisfaction. Searching for a certain spot he twisted his fingers a little before curling them and rubbing Sasuke's inner walls, searching for a certain spot inside him,

It took him a moment, but finally his fingers brushed against the raven's prostate and the man groaned in pleasure, his legs starting to shake again.

"Fuck, Naruto, stop teasing me", Sasuke snarled, stilling himself long enough to turn to glare at Naruto. His fiery black eyes met Naruto cheerful ones and then narrowed, their owner trying to decide whether or not the blonde was making fun of him.

Ending up with the negative Sasuke huffed and shook his head sharply, the look in his eyes challenging instead of suspicious when he finally turned back to Naruto.

"Hurry up, dobe. I don't need to be treated like a lady", he murmured, pushing back against Naruto. His body was already shivering again and Naruto found himself swallowing hard, his own cock throbbing angrily between his legs, demanding a release.

"Teme... As you wish", Naruto snickered in return and wasted no time with any more fingers. He pulled the two out, smirking at the way Sasuke's muscles immediately tightened and his body stilled, waiting for another intrusion.

The lubricant tube let out a funny squirting sound as Naruto squeezed more of the substance on his hands and then rubbed them together to warm it a little before coating his arousal quickly. He didn't bother being slow as he took his position behind Sasuke, grabbing the man's hips with one hand and spreading his buttocks with the other. The blonde let himself enjoy the view for a moment before pressing the head of his erection against Sasuke's hole and then thrusting in, slowly and carefully, giving Sasuke time to adjust to the feeling of being filled before he got too deep.

The slender body went still under Naruto and he heard Sasuke's breath hitch. Just like he'd remembered the raven was tight, so tight, and he couldn't help but to groan as the muscles clamped around his arousal, the feeling bordering painful.

"Relax, Sasuke", he groaned, leaning over to speak directly into Sasuke's ear.

The raven turned his head to look at Naruto, the glare slowly melting away and the look in his eyes softening as his muscles relaxed, finally allowing Naruto to move. The blonde proceeded with slow thrusts, still gripping Sasuke's hips with one hand and the other buring in the raven locks, pulling the male's head backwards a little bit.

"Did you do this?" Naruto whispered before kissing Sasuke's neck, nibbling at the skin with his teeth as he kept moving his hips in slow steady rhythm, the other male's body rocking back against him in the same manner.

"With anybody else?"

It wasn't like Naruto didn't know the answer already, and the real questions were 'how many' and 'why', the only two Naruto maybe didn't want the answers to.

Sasuke tensed for a moment, but as Naruto's lips refused to leave his lips he let out a little groan and tilted his head to a side, giving Naruto more space.

"Yeah", he breathed out without hesitation, understanding already what Naruto was after.  
"Did you?"

He had known to wait it, but still hearing Sasuke admit it stung more than Naruto had expected it to. For a brief moment his hips stopped moving mid-thrust, Sasuke's immediately trying to force him to pick up the pace again by grinding harder against him but he couldn't answer the challenge. He hadn't noticed his lips had stopped moving as well before Sasuke actually turned to nudge his forehead gently with his chin, one pale hand coming up and grabbing Naruto's face, tilting it so that Sasuke could see his eyes.

"You asked", the raven reminded him with soft voice, but there was certain firmness to it, something that told he wouldn't take any complaints.

"And don't even try to tell me you didn't fuck anyone while I was... away." His voice had grown blank again almost as if Sasuke really didn't know what to expect.

Naruto felt anger spark inside of him and shaking his head he started to pull out of Sasuke, the irritation making the idea of fucking the raven slightly unappealing.

"I won't, you bastard", he growled, his eyes narrowing as he stared back at Sasuke, finding it really annoying that the man could say such things to him with straight face. Had he really meant to little to the raven, like any other casual fuckbuddy he might've had?

"But I only did it when I thought about you too much and couldn't stand the longing", the blonde snapped, his mouth immediately clamping shut as he realized what he'd said. He sure as hell hadn't meant to make such a confession, the timing was so off and he could hear his heart speeding up, a doubt already growing in his mind. Sasuke would not take such idiotism for sure, he wasn't like that...

The hard dark eyes scrutinized him for a moment, searching his face for something only Sasuke knew and then, apparently finding what they were after, Sasuke reached to grab Naruto's chin again and lift his face so they were again looking each other in the eye instead of Naruto having his eyes turned to the floor.

"Who said I had any other reasons?" the raven asked seriously, holding Naruto's gaze even when he let his hand fall, trusting Naruto not to break the eye contact.

And the blonde didn't. Instead, his eyes widened a little as he stared at Sasuke in shock, not really believing his ears. He couldn't have heard what he thought Sasuke had just said, it just wasn't possible. Sure, Naruto himself hadn't really liked the idea of sleeping with anyone else, the whole thing feeling somehow wrong, but to hear that it had been the same for Sasuke made his heart pound in a way that sent butterflies down to his stomach and it made his skin prickle pleasantly. The doubt was alreay being replaced by something a lot stronger and warmer and Naruto found it hard to swallow, his throat feeling somehow tight as he stared into Sasuke's eyes.

"I...", he started but stopped when he realized his voice was coming out oddly raspy and tight. With much difficulty he swallowed and blinked a couple of times, a smile breaking to his lips as he caught Sasuke's eyes again.  
"I'm happy", was all Naruto said before crushing his lips on Sasuke's, dragging a surprised groan from the raven.

His hips began moving again, gaining speed and soon finding a steady rhythm, and when the raven couldn't keep his neck twisted like it was any longer he broke the kiss, leaving them both panting. Sasuke leaned his forehead against the cold wall tiles and bit his lip, trying to hold inside the noises as Naruto grabbed his hips with both hands, holding them still as he thrust into the raven hard and fast. The muscles were still tightening around the blonde's cock but now he could tell it was because of pleasure, and as he shifted a little, changing the angle he tore a long moan from Sasuke's throat as his cock kept hitting the other male's prostate constantly with almost every thrust.

The tanned fingers dug into Sasuke's hips, pulling him back to meet Naruto's thrusts and Sasuke rocked back willingly, his whole body shaking as he dropped his other hand down, to wrap fingers around his cock to stroke himself to the rhythm of Naruto's thrusts.

"Oh my... Fuck, Sasuke!" Naruto moaned, his stomach tightening as his orgasm quickly approached. His head was already spinning and he couldn't think of anything else but the man in front of him, the tight walls wrapping around his cock and sucking him in and the unbelievably sexy groans and grunts Sasuke was letting out as he moved with Naruto, trying to urge the blonde to cum before he did – again.

Picking up his pace, Naruto leaned his head forward and rested his forehead between Sasuke's shoulderblades as he worked his hips, his release looming just out of his reach. Unable to say anything, the man went with his gut feeling and the memory he had of Sasuke, trusting it to bring them both release. He lifted his head again and sank his teeth into the raven's shoulder, tearing a loud moan from the man, and it was followed with Sasuke's body tensing and arching as he shot his load, his cum staining the wall in front of him.

The muscles around Naruto's cock tightened and he groaned against Sasuke's skin, needing just a little bit more. The raven whimpered quietly under him, still enjoying the afterwaves of his orgasm while starting to feel slightly sore with Naruto still pounding into him. Sasuke pushed his hips back, and with a couple of hard thrusts more something snapped inside Naruto and his stomach tightened into a knot before a cry of pleasure escaped his lips. He rode out his orgasm fervently, stopping only when there was no more strength in him and he could hardly stand.

As he pulled back, Naruto realized he'd left a fine set of bitemarks on Sasuke's shoulder and that they were bleeding lightly, so hard he'd bitten down. The raven didn't seem to mind though, he pushed himself slowly away from the wall and then wiped the tiles clean, washing his hand under the spray of water. Smiling, Naruto stepped under the said spray and pulled Sasuke against him, ignoring the light protesting the man tried to bring up.

Twenty minutes later they were sitting on Naruto couch, the tea mugs again in their hands. Sasuke had borrowed Naruto's spare bath robe, an orange monstrous thing that was so large that it almost drowned him. Naruto had told him that was the reason it was the spare robe, he had gotten it as a gift a couple of years ago from someone that had estimated his size a little bit wrong. On Sasuke, though, it looked sort of adorable, with the raven almost disappearing inside the huge orange robe, and Naruto hid a smile behind his tea mug as he watched the raven.

As always, Sasuke did his best to remain calm and composed, but the image was sort of ruined with the way he kept shifting and trying to find the most comfortable position for his aching behind. Finally he let out a little growl and ran fingers through his damp hair, pushing it away from his face, and leaned against Naruto's side, his head resting on the blonde's shoulder.

Naruto's breath hitched in surprise and he tensed at first, but seeing that Sasuke wasn't going to move away he relaxed and carefully wrapped an arm around Sasuke's shoulders, pulling him closer. The older man let out a non-committal grunt but allowed himself to shift closer to Naruto anyway, his eyes on the mug in his hand.

A soft smile graced Naruto's face and he turned his head to place a soft kiss on Sasuke's hair, chuckling as the raven snarled at him in warning. Apparently getting too cuddly was not allowed after all. Sighing, Naruto closed his eyes, just enjoying the warmth that was Sasuke next to him, and his toes curled on the couch at the funny feeling that bubbled inside his stomach. He was feeling warm and comfortable, and for the first time in months he felt at peace. He didn't feel like he had to be somewhere, he didn't feel like he'd lost something, he didn't feel much anything but happiness. With Sasuke here, he felt whole, as sappy as it sounded.

"Where were you?" Naruto suddenly asked, the question surprising even himself. Unlike before there was no malice in the question, he was just genuinely curious. He didn't feel the slightest bit afraid of the answer, because for some reason he didn't quite understand he didn't think Sasuke was going to disappear like that again.

As soon as Naruto had opened his mouth Sasuke had tensed a little and shifted almost to get away, but Naruto's hold around his shoulder tightened and held him still. After a moment the raven relaxed and then sighed, surprising the younger man with a dry chuckle.

"A work trip", he explained simply.

A frown crossed Naruto face but he didn't move, not sure what to think of that.  
"Just work?" he asked slowly, desperately hoping that he could see Sasuke's face. He felt the man nodding his head against his shoulder and the raven sighed again.

"Yes." Sasuke hesitated for a moment, sipping his tea and Naruto stole a quick look at his face, finding the dark eyes a little unsure in a way that made him want to protect Sasuke. Not that it would be appreciated though, so he just kept his mouth shut and let the raven continue.  
"When I'd gotten back home from our... date... I got a call from my boss. He wanted me to leave the same night for Europe to-"

"Europe?" Naruto asked in confusion with incredulous voice, now pulling back enough to look at Sasuke.  
"How big is that company exactly?"

Sasuke shook his head dismissively and straightened on the couch, glaring at Naruto.  
"Big enough. Now shut up and let me continue."

"But..." The look on Sasuke's face made Naruto snap his mouth shut, his stomach tightening in something very else than happiness. Stupid Sasuke and his obsession to do everything his own way.

"Anyway." Sasuke cleared his throat in mild discomfort, looking away from Naruto for a few seconds.  
"I didn't really have a choice so I packed and left immediately. Once I got there, I was so busy the next couple of weeks I barely had time to sleep. I didn't have time to think about anything else but work." He fell silent again, and one pale hand slowly reached to rest on Naruto's thigh.

The blonde swallowed thickly and placed his hand on Sasuke's.  
"Why didn't you call me after that?" he asked softly, hooping that he was allowed to talk at least that much.

"I did." Sasuke turned to look at him again, a mildly amused look on his face.  
"Did you know there are four other Naruto's living in this city? And one of them is a woman."

Naruto's heart sank at that.  
"A... woman?" he asked with slightly trembling voice.

Sasuke nodded and then shrugged.  
"I called all four because I didn't know your last name. Two of them answered, neither of them you, and the third one was a kid, his mom didn't sound too happy when I asked about you. And the fourth one... Well, she never answered but the answering machine... It was a woman, saying that she wasn't available at the moment. I didn't even leave a message. Those were the only Narutos I could find." He looked at Naruto expectantly, but seeing the odd look on the blonde face brought a frown to his own and he leaned a little closer.

"Naruto?"

As he watched, Naruto's shoulders started to tremble and after a couple of seconds he broke laughing, the mocking sound startling Sasuke.  
"A woman...", Naruto muttered before his laughter took him again, making him hunch over.  
"Oh my god, Sasuke, that's..."

Sasuke waited patiently as Naruto slowly collected himself and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand before grinning dryly at Sasuke. There was no real humor in his eyes though, it was more like he had troubles believing something extremely stupid.

"That woman... It's my number", he finally murmured, shaking his head.

Sasuke blinked.  
"What?"

"Yeah... The message... It's one of my friends. I thought it would be a good prank, to make people think they'd called a wrong number..." Suddenly Naruto looked rather miserable as he turned to look up at Sasuke.  
"And I never call back if there's no message left..."

Sasuke stared back at the blonde before closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. This was getting ridiculous already, to think that if he'd called any other time or left a message when he'd called that 'woman', he would've been able to contact Naruto. He let out a heavy sigh, squeezing Naruto's thigh.  
"And I didn't know what to do after that. I didn't know anything about you except your name, I didn't even remember where you lived, so there was no way to get in touch with you after that. I was told I'd have to stay in Europe for two months at the most, so I hoped you wouldn't forget me in that time, but then the assignment stretched out and I was forced to stay longer and longer... I came back three weeks ago."

Naruto's eyes snapped open and turned to look at Sauske, his brows knitting together.  
"Three weeks? Then why didn't you come to see me earlier?" he demanded angrily, annoyance clear in his voice.

Sasuke avoided the blue eyes, shrugging nonchalantly.  
"I wanted to", he confessed, staring down at his mug.  
"But I couldn't. At first I had to sort out some other things, and then... I didn't know what to do."

Naruto's frown deepened and he huffed angrily, thinking back two weeks. Then something suddenly clicked in his head and his eyes widened in shock.  
"It was you!" he exclaimed loudly.

Sasuke jumped in surprise, some of the already lukewarm tea splashing over his hands.  
"What?" he asked in confusion, staring at Naruto with a frown on his face.

"That night! Yesterday! Outside the bar! And... And today! The grocery store. It was you, wasn't it?" Naruto sounded out of breath, his eyes glistening oddly in the faint lighting of the room as he stared at Sasuke like an excited child.

Slowly, Sasuke nodded, his eyes never leaving Naruto's.

"Then why didn't you-" Naruto's lips snapped shut as Sasuke waved him off.

"I couldn't. You see, I... When I came back, I was sure you wouldn't remember me any more. I had been away for almost a year, and I left so suddenly. A week ago or so I came to the bar the first time, to see if you were there. You surprised me by coming in later, and alone on the top of that. I was... watching you for a while, to see if you had someone there with you." The raven turned away from Naruto again, obviously feeling uncomfortable talking about such things.

Naruto gulped, knowing full well what Sasuke was talking about and what he left unsaid as well. He had been sure that Sasuke had found someone else as well, at first he'd thought that the raven had simply left him because he had someone else to be with, and as time passed he had grown used to that idea. He really couldn't blame Sasuke for thinking the same of him.

"But today... The store... Why did you run away?" he asked with some difficulty, his hands searching for Sasuke's.

The raven simply shrugged, his fingers fiddling with the orange fabric of the bath robe.

"I didn't know what to sat, I was acting like a stalker, wasn't I, following you to grocery shopping, and... Tonight, at the bar, I had decided to come and talk to you and then you were with that woman..." His voice faded and he shrugged again.

Naruto didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell Sasuke it had been nothing, he wanted to say that all this time he had just been waiting for Sasuke to come back, that the woman had been ocming onto him and not vice versa, but he couldn't make himself let out a single word. Instead, he leaned down to put his mug away and then reached out to take Sasuke's face in his hands. Naruto leaned closer ,turning Sasuke's face towards his own and without a word he pressed his lips against the other man's.

The kiss was slow and nothing like the heated kisses they had shared in their moments of passion. It was experimenting, giving Sasuke a chance to pull away, but slowly the raven relaxed and gave into the kiss, his lips moving against Naruto's as his tongue licked the blonde's lower lip.

Naruto smiled, not letting it get any deeper before pulling away.

"But you're here now", he whispered, not even sure how many things he meant with those words.

Sasuke nodded in understanding, the dark eyes softening as he watched Naruto."Yeah. And I'm not going to leave in a long while. Is... The invitation to the second date still valid?" he asked with a hint of mischief in his voice.

A quiet chuckle was the only answer he got before Naruto's lips brushed against his again, this time staying there a little bit longer.

"Of course, teme", the blonde murmured against Sasuke's soft lips, closing his eyes with a sigh.

"Merry Christmas..."

Sasuke's eyes widened and he arched his brows in question, pushing Naruto away a little.

"Christmas is still three days away", he reminded the other man, looking slightly questioning as Naruto grinned at him.

"True, but I already got my best present."

Sasuke stared back at Naruto for a couple of seconds before a smirk twisted his mouth and he started laughing under his breath, giving Naruto a disbelieving look.

Naruto pouted for a moment, reaching to slap the back of Sasuke's head before the tugging at the corners of his lips took over and he started laughing as well."Okay, okay, it was awful", he snickered, thinking those words over. Had he honestly just called Sasuke his best Christmas present?

"Who knew you'd be that cheesy, dobe", Sasuke chuckled back, ruffling his black hair with the corners of his mouth remaining turned upwards.

Naruto cleared his throat, giving the raven a mischievous look.  
"Cheesy or not, that doesn't make it any less true. And since you are my present, I want you gift-wrapped under my Christmas tree. In nothing but the wrapping."

"What?" Sasuke asked in disbelief, still snickering a little.

"I'm serious. Oh, and make sure the wrapping paper is nicely colored, I'll have a couple of friends over here at Christmas and I want you to look presentable."

"What?"

Naruto might not tell Sasuke that the thing about friends was a lie, because if that would get him the raven wrapped up in wrapping papers only... Oh yeah.

The End


End file.
